The next six months were filled with more of the same. Together, Stacey and Joey had watched Rachel grow and learn. She’d slept through the night by three months old and had sat up by herself by six and a half months. Rachel was babbling, and her toes were her favorite snack.
Joey watched Stacey grow, too. Instead of holding back what she was thinking, she often told him exactly what was on her mind. He loved to see her angry and expressing her opinion. He’d come to realize it wasn’t him who held the key to making Stacey more confident, but perhaps it was his daughter.
Cameron still called occasionally in the middle of the night to see how Rachel was doing, and now Joey feared once Cameron was released, she might want visitation and take him to court for it. She’d hinted at this several times, but Joey never waivered from Stacey’s wishes. If she didn’t want Cameron seeing Rachel, he trusted her instincts and respected her enough to honor them.
When Rachel was four months old, Cameron had called him, demanding again they bring Rachel to the prison the next week. This was Joey’s first true fight with Stacey. She’d held a crying Rachel to her breast as if protecting her, shielding her from the world, and Stacey told him in no uncertain terms if he caved and took Rachel to see Cameron, she’d leave him.
At first, he’d been shocked. Then mad. Then proud as punch his wife was standing nose to nose with him, fighting for his daughter’s welfare. He’d immediately kissed her and just like that, the fight was over and the subject was dropped.
They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with each other. Stacey played the housewife part perfectly. Enough that Joey felt guilty she did so much. Sometimes, when she’d had a particularly rough day with Rachel while he was at work, he’d bring home takeout and give her a massage after dinner. Their life was as picture perfect as Joey could have imagined. More so, when he really thought about it.
On weekends, sometimes he gave her money, and she went shopping with his mother. And he couldn’t have been more surprised when Stacey came home one day after shopping with a brand new wardrobe, a new, straight hairstyle and missing her glasses. He was happy her cliché duct taped glasses were finally gone, and she now wore contacts. He could gaze into her beautiful green eyes any time he wanted without the light glaring back at him. It was like being married to a different woman now. She’d never been one for fashion, but seeing her in calf-high boots and skinny jeans went a long way to making his mouth water for his wife. Although Joey still preferred her curly hair, the straight was growing on him a little more.
It was during that time he knew things were changing for her… not just outwardly, but inside, too.
It seemed little Stacey Ingram McCrary hadn’t needed him after all to make her into a confident, beautiful woman. She handled Rachel with a precision that left him amazed. He didn’t think he’d ever be good at changing a diaper or making up a bottle or mixing baby cereal with milk. She could practically do it with her eyes closed. Probably did during the night.
Then there was the bedroom. Over time, Stacey had grown accustomed to his touch, vocalized what she wanted him to do, and left no room for argument when it was bedtime and she was in the mood. She even wore sexy lingerie and blew him away with her svelte curves and wild moves. Her self-confidence was sexier than anything she could wear, and Joey was proud to call her his wife.
It was also during that time, almost seven months after their marriage she experienced her first orgasm. To say he was excited was an understatement, but the look on her face was a memory he would cherish for the rest of his life. It was the kind of bond God had always intended someone to have with their spouse. And he tucked it away, deep inside him so he could recall it during the days to come.
Two days after Rachel turned seven months old, Joey received a phone call at work. His lawyer was letting him know Cameron was up for parole early due to good behavior. A knot twisted in his gut, and nausea threatened to choke him. Everything he and Stacey had worked for in the last seven months was now at stake.
The hearing was set for the following Tuesday. If she was granted parole, she’d then be able to seek visitation rights. The paperwork she’d signed upon entering the prison system would be null and void. His lawyer tried to assure him he’d keep that from happening, but he knew the statistics with mothers and babies. Very few judges felt it was necessary to abolish all contact.
As Joey trudged into the house after work, he wondered how Stacey would take the news. Would she be angry? Retreat back into a shell? Or would she fight for his daughter and her happiness?
But a bigger question flowed into his mind as he entered the front door and looked at Stacey. Her blonde hair flowed around her face as she blew a raspberry at Rachel and then turned those glowing, expressive green eyes toward him and smiled.
Would she give up on them?
****
Stacey knew something was on his mind. Maybe it was his charmingly tousled hair, as if he’d run his fingers through it a million times on the way home, or maybe it was the defeated slouch of his shoulders as he walked through the doors, but she knew something was amiss.
“Bad day?” she asked, hefting Rachel on her hip and walking up to Joey for a kiss.
“You could say that,” he muttered, taking off his lightweight jacket. Spring was coming soon, and the days were warmer.
“Wanna talk about it?” she encouraged.
“Yeah, we definitely need to talk about it.”
Stacey put Rachel in her high chair and gave her a bottle. “Did you lose your job?”
Joey shrugged. “I wish it was that easy.”
She stared at him. His answer meant it could only be one thing. “Cameron.”
He nodded and she sat down, thankful the chair was there to catch her.
“Is she out already?”
“Hearing is Tuesday. If it’s granted, she can seek visitation.”
Suddenly, she was on her feet again. There was no way a drug addict was going to come along and take away her daughter. Stacey wasn’t going to let Cameron waltz in and out of Rachel’s life and confuse her, either. What kind of mother would either of them be, then?
Stacey had told Joey she’d help him raise his child, and she was going to do just that, in and out of the courtroom.
“What about her drug use? If she gets visitation, it has to be supervised. I wouldn’t trust her not to get drunk or high and drive off a bridge with Rachel in the car.”
Joey’s face soured. “Believe me, you’re not alone. But we’ll need to figure it all out when the time comes. Right now, the lawyer says we have to prepare a testimony on why the judge shouldn’t grant her parole.”
“I’ll get on it as soon as Rachel is down. I can give you fifty reasons why off the top of my head.” Stacey came out of her reverie and looked at Joey. His frown tugged at her heart. “We won’t let Cameron take her away from us. She’s ours.”
Joey bit his lip and shook his head. “I love you so much.”
A bittersweet smile lifted her lips. “I love you, too, Joe. And I love Rachel just like she came from me. Cameron is toxic, and she won’t take our little girl away.”
Joey bent at the waist and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t even know where to start. If I go after her character, she’s going to get ugly. I know her well enough to know that. If I try to play it safe, she’ll take advantage. Any good lawyer would.”
“Then we’ll take the middle road.”
“How do we find it?” Joey asked, looking up at her from his seat.
“We have to pray about it. And then we fight.”
****
The day of the trial came too fast for Joey’s peace of mind. Graciously, his mother had offered to keep Rachel while Joey and Stacey attended the hearing. As Cameron was brought into the room in an orange jumpsuit and placed with her lawyer at their table, he wondered what had happened to the girl he’d once loved.
She was so frail looking, and her hair was still cut way too short, even shorter than the day she’d delivered Rachel. One of his favorite pastimes when they were dating had been to brush her long hair. But now, only a couple of inches remained all over her head. She seemed to have aged in the seven months since he’d seen her last. He guessed that’s what happened when one dedicated her life to alcohol and drugs.
He glanced at Stacey and her youthful skin and shiny waves. She’d always been the epitome of innocence, but today was an exception. He’d never seen her the way she was right now. Her eyes were trained on Cameron, her back ramrod straight and what he figured was her game face was stoically plastered. She dressed in a blue pinstriped business suit with classic heels. Nothing frilly and no jewelry save the wedding ring he’d given her.
Joey looked down at his ring and smiled. Despite whatever happened today, he still had his baby girl and his wife. He could only pray Cameron wouldn’t make him lose the things he held dear.
Cameron turned in her seat and gave Joey a wan smile. He didn’t return her smile. Her eyes darted nervously toward the paper Stacey clenched in her hand. No doubt, she’d figured out they weren’t there to support her. In fact, Stacey had a lengthy list of things opposing her parole release. He wasn’t sure it would make much of a difference, but at this point, he was desperate.
The judge entered a little while later and spoke a lot of legal jargon that went over his head. His lawyer sat on his other side, taking notes and tapping his chin with his pen occasionally.
When the time came for him to speak, Joey finally steeled himself. It wouldn’t be easy hurting Cameron. He figured she’d hurt herself enough for both of them, but he was about to unleash some pretty harsh words.
Joey gave his introduction to the judge and looked at Stacey. Her game face hadn’t changed, and she watched him without so much of a blink. She was there to support him, and it was all that mattered.
“On October 9, Cameron Matheson called me at approximately one a.m. to ask me to bring my daughter to the prison. She then informed me she was using a prison guard’s cell phone. Three more times she called me, once on December 24th, again on January 28th, and lastly on March 18th. Every instance was at approximately one a.m. She said this was to keep the guard out of trouble. When I asked her who this guard was, she wouldn’t give me a name, but indicated he let her phone people a lot and also snuck her some drugs occasionally.”
He paused, wiping dampness from his brow and held up his phone records. “I have the phone records and the number highlighted on each of my phone statements here. The officer has since been let go from the Correctional Facility for consorting with a prisoner.”
With a quick glance at Cameron, he saw her rounded eyes and her mouth slightly ajar. She probably thought he was playing dirty, but he had another thing to say.
“As for good behavior, I can’t say, because I wasn’t there. But I know of her behavior prior to conceiving, and I can safely say I don’t want my daughter with her out of fear she might relapse and cause an accident. I understand everyone can change, but so far, I’ve seen little of it, mainly in our conversations with each other at night, and also in my dealings with her before giving birth. Children need their mothers, and I want her to be a mother, but before she can be one to my child, I want her to prove she can be an honest person.”
The judge studied him and scribbled something on his notepad. “In your opinion, Mr. McCrary, was Cameron a good person before she turned to drugs and alcohol?”
Joey couldn’t help but look at Cameron then. Her eyes were downcast, reminiscent of how Stacey used to look when she didn’t believe in herself. But Joey couldn’t lie about it. “Yeah, she was. Drugs are a powerful force, and I understand the dependency. That’s what I fear the most. Cameron has the potential, but I’m not sure about the willpower. Above all else, I want my daughter to have a happy, loving home surrounded by people who love her. I have no doubt Cameron loves her daughter, but I also have no doubt she has a long way to go before she can provide what a child needs and be a contributing member of society.”
“Thank you, Mr. McCrary.”
Joey tore his eyes away from Cameron, who now looked at him with tears sparkling in her eyes. It hurt to betray her. He’d once thought she’d be his wife instead of Stacey. She was the woman who had given his baby girl life. He knew how deep the deception could be felt, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause anyone that kind of pain. But he wouldn’t go down without a fight when it came to how Rachel would be raised and what she would be exposed to.
That night, Joey lay with his head in Stacey’s lap as they talked about the day’s proceedings. “I didn’t know what else to say. I know she could do it, but I’ve also seen what a battle it is with drugs. But there’s a part of me that says she deserves the chance. Then there’s the other part of me that says she gave her chance up when she made the poor choice. At what point do we draw the line, Stace?”
Her cool fingers ran through his hair and circled tenderly at his temples. “There’s a lot to think about, and it’ll overwhelm us if we let it. But we’ll know in a few weeks what the judge’s decision is, and we can go from there. Some people can get sober and stay that way, but there’s a will there that most people don’t have.”
“Right. How do we know if she’s the exception rather than the rule without risking Rachel’s safety?”
“I don’t know. I guess the bottom line is, if she’s got the willpower, then she’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter back.”
Joey sat up and propped himself up across her lap. “You’ve changed, Stace. You know?”
She smiled, her bright eyes happy. “I’ve had a good reason to change.”
“It wasn’t me. I could have told you how beautiful you were until the cows came home, and you wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Because I didn’t have a reason to believe you. Rachel kind of changed everything with me. When I was the only one she wanted when she was upset, and I spent all those nights with her during feedings, I just realized I have to be the one to give her confidence and teach her how to love herself. I can’t do it if I don’t know how myself. I saw in some way, I was her comfort in a way you and your mother weren’t.”
“Do you know why?”
Stacey smiled. “Because I’m her mama.”
Joey kissed her lips softly. “Exactly. You’re her mama. And you’re a great mother, Stace. I knew you were amazing, but I don’t think the magnitude truly hit me until after I saw how much you loved her and cared about her. Thank you for everything you’re doing for her… and for me.”
She shrugged. “It’s what love is.”
“You’re love. When I think of someone who is a perfect example of love, I always think of you. You’ve done so much for me, and I’ve given so little in return.”
“You gave me a daughter. And you gave me a husband. Two things I couldn’t have had without you.”
“You would have had them. I’m just thankful I snatched you up before someone else realized what an amazing person you are.”
Stacey smiled.
“I want to have a baby with you, Stace,” Joey blurted.
Stacey frowned then laughed. “You do have a baby with me.”
“You know what I mean. I want to make a baby with you. Not now. Not until we’re ready for another one, but I’ve been thinking on it for a while, and I wasn’t sure what you’d think about the idea.”
“Hmm…” she said as she unbuttoned the top buttons on his polo shirt and ran her fingertips along his skin. “I think another baby would be stressful right now, but having another baby a few years down the road, especially with you, sounds like a great idea.”
“Just think. A little piece of you and me running around with Rachel. How cute would that be?”
Stacey kissed his neck, running her tongue along his hammering pulse. “It would be adorable.” Passion filled her gaze, and he wasn’t necessarily thinking about a baby just then. But practicing sure was on his mind. There wasn’t another woman who could turn him on as quickly or as thoroughly as she did.
“I say let’s just practice right now, so when the time comes, we’ll have everything down to an art,” she whispered. She sucked in his bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it.
What could he say to that?
He let out an unintelligible grunt as he claimed possession of her mouth and a little while later, her body.